13 Wonderful Benefits of Molasses to Cattle
Molasses is a sticky dark brown by-product of processing sugar cane, corn or sugar beets into sugar.
After dissolving sugars out at a high temperature, the crystals of sugar settle out as the liquid cools leaving the molasses, much of which was traditionally mixed back with the pulped fibres to produce molasses sugar beet feed.
Molasses is one of the most economical and palatable sources of fermentable energy available, making it a valuable ingredient in dairy, cattle beef and sheep rations
Feeding your cattle molasses is one of the cheapest ways to supply a good source of fermentable energy and sugar essential in any well-balanced diet.
Molasses can also be a key ingredient for the cost-effective management of feeds and pastures in avoiding wastage.
A molasses blend helps to maximize rumen function, stimulate fibre digestion, and increase dry matter intakes which can lead to improved cattle health, performance and fertility.
If the animal is not keen on eating molasses encourages, or make it a habit to eat a very small amount every day as it will quickly become his favourite food.
You can even de-worm the animal properly and apply anthelmintic.
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Benefits of Molasses to Cattle
- Mixing poor-quality hay with molasses will increase feed intake and improve palatability. Improve digestion of pastures/hay.
- Increase milk production, help maintain body condition and appetite and result in less feed wastage.
- Helps reduce heat-related stress
- Helps the growth and development of young stock.
- Molasses contains significant quantities of trace minerals such as copper, zinc, iron and manganese.
- Cane molasses is high in sodium, potassium, magnesium and Sulphur. Beet molasses is higher in potassium and sodium but lower in calcium.
- Molasses meal is rich in easily digestible energy.
- Molasses helps prevent the separation of feed ingredients and therefore acts as an effective carrier for medications and supplements. It is very effective in pelleted feeds as a natural ‘binding agent’
- It also adds a pleasant aroma and generally increases the taste in cattle diets.
- Improving dry matter intakes by balancing the diet to include a source of sugar improves digestion efficiency, and encourages the animal to eat more.
- The addition of molasses can improve diet presentation and consistency, encouraging better intakes, reducing sorting and the risk of acidosis, and allowing cows and beef cattle to produce to their potential.
- Molasses is widely used in feed mixing. Molasses is also used to make raw grass or straw silage for cattle.
- Promotes general animal health.
